Stephen D. Cannerelli/The Post-Standard, file photo, 2009 Chris Jordan, of Cuyler, a custodian with the Fabius-Pompey School District, helps clean a school bus. Teachers and other staff members have agreed to a pay freeze to try to help the district make up some of a $1.2 million budget gap.

Fabius-Pompey teachers and teaching assistants, administrators, bus drivers, the superintendent and district office staff have agreed to a wage freeze for the 2011-12 school year to help the district cope with a $1.2 million budget gap.

The district will save about $250,000 from the wage concessions, said F-P Superintendent Timothy Ryan. The district’s budget this school year is about $16.6 million.

“This is our entire school community pulling together,” he said. “It’s what our community does. And it’s difficult. Teachers aren’t insulated from the economy – they have spouses out of work and bills to pay too.”

Marc Lauzon, president of the F-P Education Association, which represents the teachers, said the vote was strongly in favor of the freeze.

“We’re looking at the big picture, and how this may help save some teaching positions, help with our class sizes and also help us maintain programs for our students. It’s something we wrestled with, but we are happy with our decision,” Lauzon said.

The district employs 97 teachers and four administrators plus the superintendent. There also are 20 bus drivers. The district employs about 190 people total.

The contracts for teacher aides, cafeteria staff, clerical and building and maintenance workers expire in June 2011. The union and the district have just started talks, so no agreement has been reached on pay yet.

F-P teachers approved a three-year contract a year ago that called for annual raises of 3.75 percent through 2011-12. Teachers also agreed to concessions in that contract, including forfeiting extra-pay for having tenure and a master’s degree.

Teachers also agreed to accept caps in their compensation for professional credit. Those concession saved the district $61,000 the first year, $150,000 the second year and $611,000 in the fifth year.

Ryan said it’s frustrating because even if districts do everything the governor is asking – agree to wage concessions, use reserves and trim costs – districts will still run out of money in the next couple of years.